A closer look at the divorce of Hollywood’s former golden couple “Brangelina”

The couple, formally dubbed “Brangelina” by the media, famously met during the filming of Mr and Mrs Smith in 2004 when they played a pair of married assassins. They commenced a relationship around this time and married at an intimate ceremony at their French home, Château Miraval, ten years later in August 2014. The former couple share six children between the ages of 16 and 23. Three of the children are adopted but the court makes no distinction between natural and adopted children.

The couple’s relationship sadly ended in September 2016 when it was alleged that Pitt had been abusive towards to Jolie and their children during a private plane flight. Pitt has denied these allegations and no charges were made after a police investigation. Jolie filed for divorce a few days later and shortly after, they released a joint statement addressing the divorce and explaining that they were using a private judge to deal with the fallout for privacy.

It has been reported that the former couple reached an agreement on 30 December 2024 after a long, drawn-out legal battle involving children issues, and a lawsuit regarding a sale of shares in their French estate. It is believed that court documents outlining the financial agreement have not been filed yet, and the judge who has been retained will need to sign off on the agreement.

Whilst the terms of the agreement have not been made public, we can investigate what some of the terms of the divorce might be include based on public knowledge of Pitt and Jolie’s finances:

‍Properties

• Perhaps most famously, the couple purchased Château Miraval in Correns, located in the South of France in 2012 for a reported US$60million (£48.7m) after a period of renting since 2008. Château Miraval is an enormous estate of 1,200 acres with history dating back to pre-Roman times and most importantly, it encompasses an extremely successful vineyard and wine business. The property was said to be the family’s main residence.
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• Pitt and Jolie owned the wine business in an equal partnership (after previously buying the shares on a 60/40 basis with Pitt gifting Jolie 10% after marriage) but controversially, during the divorce,Jolie sold her shares in the estate to a subsidiary of Stoli Group known for Stolichnaya Vodka in 2021 for US$64 million (£52m). The following year, Pitt brought a lawsuit against Jolie for the sale accusing Jolie of selling her shares without Pitt’s knowledge or consent to cause deliberate damage to his reputation and the success of the business. It is believed the lawsuit remains ongoing.
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• Pitt and Jolie also purchased a house together in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 2006 for US$3.5 million (£2.8m). They made this decision after Pitt established the Make it Right Foundation to boost the development of new housing in the area following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This was sold in 2016 for US$4.9 million (£3.9m).
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• The couples’ property portfolio built up during the relationship also includes a luxury New York apartment, in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, purchased in 2007 and a villa in Mallorca, Spain bought in 2016.It is unclear whether or not Pitt or Jolie still own these properties which were bought together.
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• Pitt and Jolie are also said to own various other properties which they brought into the marriage separately. Jolie purchased a house in Cambodia in 2003 (a year after she adopted their son Maddox from Cambodia) and in 2019, she purchased the surrounding land to turn it into a wildlife preserve. Pitt’s own property portfolio includes a home in Los Angeles purchased in 1998, a property in Santa Barbara purchased as a holiday home with his then-wife Jennifer Aniston which he kept after their divorce. Pitt and Jolie may own other real estate which is not known publicly. The former couple have rented various properties globally over the years, but this does not provide them with any legal ownership.

‍Other assets and liabilities

• At some point during the relationship, Pitt gifted a rare Winston Churchill oil painting to Jolie titled “The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque” (1943) which he had purchased in 2011. Jolie sold the painting in 2021 at a Christie’s auction for a record-breaking sum of £8.3 million which beat the previous record for the sale of a Churchill painting for £1.7m achieved in 2014 for “The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell” (1932). It is likely Jolie has kept the sale proceeds as the painting was gifted to her unless the parties have agreed otherwise.
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• In 2017, Pitt loaned Jolie US$8 million (£6.5m)to purchase a house to live in with the children in Los Angeles near his own property at the time. It is reported that Jolie has agreed to repay this loan immediately.
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• Allegedly, Brad has paid over US$1.3m (£1m) in bills to Jolie for herself and the children since the divorce began. It is not known what these bills were for or how much Pitt pays towards child maintenance.
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• Jolie owns a private single-engine aircraft, a Cirrus SR22-G2, which she purchased in 2005 for US$334,700 (£272,158). This was purchased solely by Jolie before the parties were married and Jolie holds a pilot’s licence so it is likely she will keep the aircraft unless agreed otherwise.
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•  The couple own a super yacht purchased for US$323million (£261m) in 2014 and were reported to be spending a huge sum on renovations at the time. This asset might be sold (or have already been sold) as part of the financial agreement or kept by either party depending on what has been agreed.

‍Prenuptial agreement

It is rumoured that the former couple had a prenuptial agreement in place before marriage and whilst the details are private, it is likely, based on the common position, that both will have chosen to exit the marriage with their own assets (and liabilities) which they brought into the marriage and anything acquired separately since. Joint capital built up during the marriage may have been regarded as a “team effort” which could be split equally or shared in a carefully thought-out manner depending on what was agreed at the time the prenuptial agreement was made. A prenuptial agreement can be as flexible as a couple wishes.

‍Income

In terms of their earnings, Pitt and Jolie remain two of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and will continue to command some of the largest salaries in the industry per film for the foreseeable future. Jolie has recently starred in the 2025 “Maria” a biopic about the opera singer Maria Callas. Pitt is starring in the upcoming “F1” film due for release in Summer 2025. It is reported that he has been paid US$30 million (£24.3m) for the role.

Pitt has various business interests, including his 50% share in Château Miraval, and he earns through his work on campaigns for brands such as TAG Heuer, Chanel, De’Longhi and Heineken.  Jolie also has a separate income stream through partnerships with luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and she recently launched her own arts and fashion collective, Atelier Jolie, which sells products in New York.

‍What can we learn from this?

The information which has been shared throughout the years about the former couple’s finances highlights the areas which are considered in financial settlements where a marriage has broken down. Whilst the couple are based in the USA and local laws will apply, the law in England and Wales, considers sole and joint assets and liabilities of a couple on the breakdown of a marriage including: property, investments, gifts, vehicles, business interests, loans, the parties’ incomes as well as other categories not mentioned in this article including cash, shares, stock options, pensions, mortgages, credit card debt and any other relevant details dependent on the individual circumstances.

Jolie and Pitt are ultra high-net worth individuals but the same principles apply when considering all financial settlements.

If you are looking for assistance in divorce, financial settlements or any other family law issue, Turner Nicholson provides tailored and sensible legal advice. Please contact the firm on 0207 336 6000 for the London office, 01327 263 950 for the Banbury office or email mail@turnernicholson.com for more information.

The material contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The content of this article contains general information and may not reflect current legal developments, verdicts or settlements.

Author: Charlotte Hayes-Sennett

Dated 21 January 2025